The Rathore kings of Marwar are Rajputs, a term that denotes their status as descendants of Kshatriyas, the traditional Hindu warrior caste. Within Rajputs, The Rathores are Suryavanshi Rajputs who claim descent from Sun. They count one of their ancestors as Lord Rama, an avatar of Hindu God Lord Krishna.
The Rathores arrived in desert tracts of Western India during 13th century, in wake of invading armies from their ancestral territories in India. Northern plains. By 15th century they established powerful kingdom and built a walled city – Jodhpur- with massive Mehrangarh fort. The prosperity of Rathores, owed largely to Rathores control over lucrative trade routes but attracted the attention of the two successive empires that ruled India- The Mughals (1526-1857) and British (1858-1947). Both encounters would reshape Jodhpur’s cultural landscape, expanding the Rathore’s interaction with external world and introducing objects, artilleries, architectural styles, language and system of administration.
Seeing several Jodhpur itineraries I chalked out the below plan. Since we are senior citizens we allocated extra day for rest. Otherwise two full days are enough for Jodhpur. Since it was beginning of off season Bishnoi Village Safari tour was not available and also we were not interested in Mehrangarh light and sound show, camel safari we already did in Bikaner and Jaisalmer.
Where to stay
I stay always in state’s Government tourist department hotels. They are average but have good restaurant spacious airy rooms and big and green premises. Renovation was going on and room was not in good state but it was OK for me. If rush is less or off season they prepare lunch as per your individual order. Breakfast is normally included in tariff. In North India they usually serve you aloo paratha, curd or poori-bhaji. We stayed in hotel Ghoomar of RTDC.
Hotel booking – https://rtdc.tourism.rajasthan.gov.in/client/hotellist.aspx
How to roam about Jodhpur
There are not many things to see in Jodhpur. The main points as per my experience in Jodhpur are Mehrangarh fort, Jasewant Thada, Mandore garden and Ummaid Bhawan. We just took an auto for Rs.400 from RTDC, Ghoomar and he dropped us at Mehrangarh fort few meters from ticket counter. It took 3 hours to see the grand august fort and we caught another auto for Rs.200 to Jaswant Thada. It took about 1.5 hours at Thada and same auto we asked to drop us at Mandore garden and wait for us to drop at hotel.
Next day we took and auto at 3 PM, visited Ummaid Bhawan and he dropped us at Ghantagahr.
Jaswant Thada
Inspired by love and reverence of the Maharani, this beautiful memorial of marble, often described as “Taj mahal Of Marwar”, was built in memory of Maharaja Jaswant Singh II of Jodhpur (1873-1895) by his son maharaja Sardar Singhji (1895-1911) and completed in 1906 and thence the cremations take place at Jaswant Thada.
The main memorial is built like a temple and photographs of deceased rulers are displayed. The worship of ancestors is common in Rajput clans. After the merging to India Union, the cremation ground remained the same here.
In photo below, first from right is cenotaph of Raja Sardar Singh, is middle Raja Sumer Singh, next is Raja Ummaid Singh and last not visible is of Raja Hanwant Singh. There are more smaller cenotaphs behind These three are of Maharaja Chouhan ji, wife of Ummaid Singh and last of wife of Hanwant Singh, each behind their husband.
There is a very good garden and a Dev-Kund here which is still used by royal family for ritual bathing after cremation.
Mandore Garden
There is entry fee of Rs.60 per person. It was cremation ground for Marwar kings till 1906. The unique Mandore garden with royal cenotaphs attracts tourists and I think this is only garden in India which was once cremation ground, now is a park for local people here. Spending time in this garden will be relaxing and pleasant in a good atmosphere. So never miss this place on your sightseeing list in Jodhpur.
History of Mandore – Since 6th century Mandore was under Pratihars. The king of Rathore dynasty Rao Chunda married the Princess of Pratiharas. As a dowry, he got the Mandore. In 1453, Mandore underwent the rule of Rao Jodha.
After many invasions, Mandore became the capital of Jodhpur kings. Even though many dynasties invaded the Mandore like Muslim rulers of Gujarat and Malwa. To protect the Mandore, the capital of Jodhpur was changed to Mehrangarh Fort which is safe for the kingdom wealth.
Before Jaswant Thada the cremations used to take place in Mandore till 1906 AD.
The Royal Cenotaphs of Marwar Kings are made of complete Red stone. These cenotaphs are the major attraction of Mandore Gardens. Each cenotaph is unique and completely different from one other. The architectural style in these cenotaphs reminds us the glory of Rajasthani architects
Ravana temple is another attraction at Mandore. It is believed to be the native place of Ravan’s wife Mandodari. Ravan is treated as son in law among some local Brahmins. It is believed that Ravana was married to Mandodari in Mandore.
We can notice that cenotaph for maharaja Gaj Singh and Maharaja Sur Singh are completely different in architecture.
The time when Mandore was capital of Marwar king Jodha, the queens lived in Zenana Mahal and just outside premises is Thamba mahal where they came to get fresh wind in Summer. After the capital shifter to Mehrangarh, this mahal might be deserted.
Hall of Heroes is another famous spot in Mandore garden. This stop explains the greatness and the history of folk fighters of Rajputs. The walls of the hall are completely filled with beautiful paintings and rock statues of Rajput heroes. Statues of heroes, colorful paintings are crafted on a huge rock and this Hall of Heroes is the depiction of locality heroes like Chamunda and Pabuji. An interesting thing of Hall of Heroes is 16 figures are carved out from a single rock.
Mehrangarh Fort
I have already enumerated fort details at link Mehrangarh.
Ummaid Bhawan
Ummaid Bhawan Palace is one of the world’s largest private residences. A part of the palace is managed by Taj Hotels. It is named after Maharaja Ummaid Singh, grandfather of the present owner, Gaj Singh. Entry fee is Rs. 250. I think guide is not needed and they charge high Rs.250 and is not worth. You are not allowed to enter hotel as part of palace is private property of Taj group of hotels.
There is a good and expensive artifacts and paintings kept here in the museum.
This is the history of Mandore in Jodhpur. Even though it faced many invasions, it was there for us to experience the bygone era of Jodhpur through the architectural styles and royal cenotaphs.
Ghantaghar
This is a very good crowded market for free evening to enjoy some snacks, stroll down the market, have South Indian Dosa and North Indian dishes. We can spend here 2-3 hours just for change.
Epilogue
Jodhpur is the collection of fort, palaces, memorials and temples of the Marwar dynasty. The majestic Mehrangarh fort, the cenotaphs of Jaswanth thada, Ummaid bhawan palace and old cenotaphs of Mandore garden are classic structures which sing the wealth of Marwar kingdom in their time.
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